not so decry the will of man in his conversion that I will deny it to be freer in that act then it is in any action of this life then it is to eat and drink c. but whence comes that freedom who hath unshackled nay who hath revived this will that is God The will of man is not so to be cryed down as to make him a brute nor yet so to be advanced as to make him more then a Servant They who make man who is dead in sin to be like the man in the parable half-dead Luk. 10. 30. which to answer that place by the way was enough to shew who was his neighbour It was enough for the scope of our Saviours Parable to suppose the man left half-dead do unawares wrong the quickening vertue of Christ You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins he that makes a man less then dead makes the quickening power that converts him less then a resurrection he that makes the captivity and bondage of a man less doth thereby make his freedom less too because these do follow one upon another bondage and freedom captivity and liberty as those Papists that free the virgin Mary from all sin do also remove Christ from being her Saviour his name shall be called Jesus because he saves his people from their sins if there be no sin from whence is the salvation if there be no salvation from whence is he called a Saviour as therefore I would not set works in the place of Justification which is Christs place so neither will I remove them from a necessary place in sanctification and salvation for they have a necessary place but not a place to work it for we must be Gods workmanship before we can do Gods work the Apostle makes that plain when he gives that as a reason nor in the place of Justification for that as I said is Christs place nor as a motive to move God to justifie a sinner for that is free grace nor as the condition and instrument for that is the place of faith yet they have a place in sanctification afterwards as the fruit of the tree though not as the root for a cypher that in the first place of a figure is nothing may in the second place add a value so that which in point of merit and causality is nothing yet if there be first grace a work of regeneration and sanctification wrought in the heart then I say there is something to be said of this obedience and as I will not give to man the working of the will and the deed so neither will I deny the working out of Salvation to be mans act and therefore those that say Christ repents for me and Christ believes for me as if so be it were not man that believes and the sinner that repents they speak a kind of non-sence the text I am upon teaches the contrary where he tells them the drawing is Gods the coming is mans act and duty and therefore it s not to be said Christ believes and repents for me for I must repent and believe or I am lost and lie in my lost estate The duty and act of faith and repentance are yours But the grace and power whereby these are wrought in you are God's and therefore the rule here is that the power and Grace of God be not degraded by the extenuation of mans natural sin and corruption but that rather the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the much more as it is said Rom. 5. 17. be given to the abundance of Grace for if you consider and compare together mans duty and Gods power mans act and the power of God that works the will and the deed rather give the more to God then sin if sin be abounding I would rather say Grace over-abounds because that is the favourable side and gives unto the grace of God more then peradventure some think to be due to him that where as abounding may be said of sin let super abounding be said of Grace Rom. 5. 20. Serm. 17 FOurthly Nor will that doctrine abide the due or true test that under the pretence of this sole power of God exerted in mans Conversion doth clamorously cry down all instruments and means Gospel and Gospel Ministry under this pretence that the sole power of mans new creation and conversion is of God and therefore hold that as God made this world without tools and instruments so God shall and will convert men by his converting grace without means instruments ministry and the like And what danger is it to snatch up a piece of a sentence for they have heard this doctrine from the orthodox that man cannot he is disabled to believe in Christ that the power is of God and have run away with it and thence have hatcht this fancie that therefore we need not look after these means shewing to us that preach that we had need to use due Correctives in our preaching for good medicines without apt Correctives sometimes breed wind or disease rather then cure it so this orthodox doctrine not rightly Corrected breeds this fancy that there is no need of instruments to work that whereof God hath the sole power These men I can say no less of them will teach God to convert man Let them teach themselves to stand in the way and rode of Christ where he walks and doth miracles Let them stand in the way of his ordinances For though I confess God can convert without ordinances and means yet to say that he doth so is as if because he did sometime make a man at full stature as Adam therefore he doth so always And so abolish mariage which he hath instituted for the propagation of mankind and so because God can convert man and bring him to a full autumne and state of grace at first that therefore God must abolish his own ordinances instituted for bringing his people to him Is it not enough that God hath tyed us to the use of Ordinances where Salvation is to be had but we must tie God according to our fancie either to or from the use of Ordinances what if God did extraordinarily without the plough maintain Israel in the wilderness by Manna bread from heaven is therefore God tyed to do the same by such extraordinary means when they come to their setled Land where they mow and sowe and reap Corn for themselves this doth not follow Where there are no ordinances to be had there God may work extraordinarily But God is not therefore bound to do it neither can we conclude he will do it let Naaman the Syrian be an extraordinary example of a man healed by miracle and those that Christ converted and healed what is this to our purpose God by his meer free will hath chosen this way of Gospel-ministry and ordained it to be the Power of God to Salvation Rom. 1 16. God puts forth a power when he converts a soul and he
shall renew their strength they shall walk and runne and flie up as Eagles and not be faint Isay 10. last verse Sermon 24 Consect 6 Sixthly Gods drawing of impotent man to Christ is the cause of mans coming to Christ so that though most men seem and will not denie that they beleive yet no man savingly doth believe and come to Christ except God by an Almighty and Omnipotent hand doe draw him The drawing of God is called the Act of God converting man the coming of man is called the Act of man converting himselfe both you find in this text Gods drawing and mans coming In the first of these man is meerly passive in the second mans coming unto Christ he is active as by way of comparison the Sun shines upon the Wall the Wall is Passive doth nothing in the Walls shining back by vertue of the Sunnes shining upon it the wall may be said to be active because it shines back the Beams by reflexion a plain case God giving this Divine grace Man is passive therein man converting unto Christ and believing in him by vertue of the drawing of God is active and performes the duty that is required of him For though Faith be an Act of Gods Power giving yet it is an Act of Mans dutie I believed therefore I spake the Act is his the power is Gods this point our Saviour proves affirmatively by an Argument drawn out of the Prophet Isaiah that all that have been taught of the Father believe and come to Christ and because that every man so taught doth come therefore no man doth come but he that is drawn which is the Negative in the Text from the affirmative he proves this Negative every man that is taught of God comes to Christ therefore no man doth come but he that is so drawn as in the natural being there is the Creation of God making us so to be so in the Recreation or making man a new Creature there is a work of God making us to be so and I see no reason but man may as well make himselfe at first in the natural being that he hath as re-make himselfe spiritually And I wonder any man should pretend that man hath a greater stroke in making himself a new Creature then he had in making himself a creature at the first A man may raise him self from the natural and bodily death as easily as he can raise himself from a Spiritual death therefore it is said that God quickens â—s being dead Eph. 2. 5. Why then may some say iâ— there no power in man to come unto or to believe in Christ Jesus I answer there is not active power to begin to come but there there is a passive and obediential power as the School-men call it which is a power to receive this work of God to receive the impression from God but not an active power to work it in man himself as in Ezekiels dry bones the Question was Can these dry bones live there was no Power for them to come together to work life in themselves but a passive Power to receive the breath and life when God gave it So there is in Man he is not a stock or block but hath a power obediential to receive the work of God the work of Regeneration and of Faith is not wrought sine duobus without two as Bernard saith the one in quo the other à quo the one in whom it is wrought as the Subject that is impotent Man the one by whom it is wrought as the Agent that is the Omnipotent God it there were not such a nature in man a rational nature there is not quod salvatur that which could be saved if the arme of God were not revealed there is not quod salvat that by which man is saved so that there must be these two From this point thus laid down and opened unto you I will summe up certain observations proper to the Text. Observ 1 First God is first in order of Causality for if you ask which of these is first I say Gods work is first and then Man comes after and therefore the Apostle proves that man is not Saved and Justified by works for we are His workmanship Eph. 2. 10. and the dead doth not first work but the living upon the dead Ephes 2. 5. and as Ishewed in Jer. 31. 18. turne thou me and I shall be turned Gods act of turning Gods before mans being turned and after I was instructed I repented you may further read this point proved in Jer. 17. 14. Heal me Oh Lord and I shall be healed Save me and I shall be saved Gods healing and saving must precede and go before our being healed and saved It 's true in order of time a Christian is not alwaies sensible to observe the time of Gods working before the time of his Converting the work of God and the act of mango so near together who can discern by way of comparison any time between the shining of the Sun on the wall and the walls reflecting back the light of the Sun yet reason will tell you from the order of Causes the Sun must first shine on the Wall so neither is it in this Case The Lords drawing and Mans coming are not sensibly discerned in difference of time but in order of nature and Causality Gods work is first which drawes and mans conversion next which comes to Christ Christ taught this Point in the comparison between the fruit and the tree suppose the tree bad it brings not forth fruit that it may be changed into a good tree but first the Tree is made good and then yeelds good fruit Math. 12. 33. And Austin hath a like Similitude Non ideo currit rota ut fit rotunda sed quia est the wheel doth not therefore run that it may be round but first the wheel or bowl is made round and then they runne so man doth not work or act that he may be made a new Creature and walk in Gods way but first he is made Gods workmanship drawn by Divine grace and then acts and brings forth fruit to God and it is the saying of Hugo speaking of the grace of God and the will of man Gratia operatur eam deinde per eam First the grace of God works the will and then it works by the will here is the state of the point grace makes the will and works it and then works by it Reas And truely methinks that in reason and good manners it should be said by all men that Gods working upon man goes before mans working for or towards God that as the Creator I speak not of Relations for they are both together in nature is before the Creature in working the Spiritual Creator must be before the Spiritual Creature in the working of it as well as the Bodily For the making of this Point good I will lay down five Reasons First The Scripture asserts it I will give a new
a man that is sweetly the drawing is not against the will because it makes the will willing it doth not move the wheel against the wheel or the natural motion of it but with it and then the heavier the plummet the faster the clock goes If the power of God go with the willâ— of man it moves more freely as the stream doth with the wind and tide then the more power God puts forth the more willing you come Thy people shall be willing shall be voluntiers in the day of thy Power Psal 110. 3. as if the power of God in that day wherein it s put forth should make a man a voluntier in coming to Christ Jesus It 's true God moves contrary to the natural stream as the tide carries up the River but when the Lord puts a new Principle a new bias into the bowl and that natural heart of sin is taken away then this coming though it be with drawing is so sweet that the soul prays Lord draw me and I will run Cant. 1. 3. Thirdly It is wondred at that God should command what he works or gives for if he mean to give it why doth he command and if he command how doth he give if it be a duty how is it Gods work and if it be Gods work how can it be my duty I Answer That God gives the grace he commands the duty bidden is also given and except it be given it is not the bidding will serve the turn 1 Joh. 3. 23. This is his command that we should believe in his Son So then our believing in Christ is a commandment of God And in Acts 17 30. God commands all men every where to repent Here you see that faith and repentance both of them are commanded of God and it s the command that makes them to be your duty Well yet for all this both these are given by God Phil. 1. 29. To you li's given to believe 2 Tim. 2. 25. If God peradventure shall give them repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth here you find that both are given Again Circumcisc your selves to the Lord and be no more stifnecked Jer. 44. Oh Lord may some say doth God put this impossible work upon me Ezek. 18. 31. Make you a new heart and a new spirit here these two are commanded Make you and Circumcise you and yet both these are promised and given Deut. 36. 6. I the Lord thy God will Circumcise thy heart and Ezek. 36. 26. I will make you a new heart and a new spirit Can any thing be plainer then this he commands and works that which he doth command he commands to convince us of our debt what is due and of our impotency that we cannot pay that we may fall down at the feet of this God and yet he gives too for the magnifying and honouring of his free grace to unworthy man and his power to impotent man that is unable and therefore we distinguish between Legal commands and Evangelical those of the law require the dutie but afford no strength but the Gospel which commands faith and repentance that are Gospel-graces carry the grace and power with them not unto all that shall oppose and shut the door but unto the Elect of God and the people of his inward Covenant So that for a man to say it 's a Gospel command is to say that 't is possible through grace that is there goes grace and power with it which the Lord will convey by the command for the commands of the Gospel are vehicula spiritus carriers and conveyers that carry along the Spirit with them John 6. 36. The words that I speak they are spirit and life being like the commands given to the dead Arise come forth It is a vain thing to speak commandingly to the dead true had they not ministred that which was commanded it had not prevailed and such are the Gospel-commands of repentance faith and making the new-heart or else how should the Gospel-word be called as it is the ministry of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3. 8. The ministery of the Spirit is Glorious So much for the removing of these â—ubs out of the way of Reason Serm. 28 Obj. We shall propound a question for the further handling of this point why should these Gospel-graces and especially faith that bring us to Christ require super-natural strength and drawing for their production And truly there lies some emphasis in this word Gospel-grace for may some say what do you mean by that I mean that grace which serves to the recovery of man to the Image of God which he had and hath lost for in this state of the Image of God which we had before we fell there was life but in this Gospel grace by that there is a resurrection unto that or a better life then we lost before for God intended to restore his Image unto man in Christ who is his Image and this Image is restored by the begetting of this Gospel grace that brings us to close with Christ so that this faith or coming to Christ is a grace of recovery or resurrection through and by which the Image we lost is again repaired now for these graces they do require a supernatural strength Answ It seems to me that a man that is able out of his own experience to make this objection is on the borders of believing for when as the difficulty of faith once appeares and man comes to be sensible and distrusts his own opposition then he begins to draw near or to be on the threshold of faith he that is at a losse is near his way the water being troubled there is no question but there is cure I but saith the cripple the Angel moves the water but I have no bodie to put me in so the promise invites the Word calls but I cannot close with Christ there held forth I am a cripple and no need but of a hand to help me and whereas in Isa 53. 1. there seems to be a double expression concerning this point of faith Lord who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed A man may say I heard the report and believe it to be true but the baring of the Lords arme must go to the making of man believe when we teach that men naturally cannot believe men wonder and say within themselves why should not I believe as well as another man I am as learned and knowing in the Scriptures and as pregnant as others and why should a man of a lesser measure and altitude of parts go before me in believing when we teach that men cannot keep the law of works there is never a one but will consent to it truly I cannot keep the Law I cannot love the Lord with all my heart and might and strength men yield they cannot but when we preach that faith is above your power you cannot believe and come to Christ though we report the report of Christ to you
GODS Drawing AND MANS Coming TO CHRIST Discovered in 32 SERMONS On John 6. 44. With the difference between a true inward Christian and the outward Formalist in three SERMONS On Rom. 2. 28 29. By Mr. RICHARD VINES late Minister of the Gospel at St. Laurence-Jury in London LONDON Printed for Abel Roper at the Sun against St. Dunstans Church in Fleet-street 1662. Good Reader THe great duty of Christianity is Coming to Christ and Christians are described to be those that come to God by him Heb. 7. 25. Now this work is not easily done Nature is averse from it Partly because Believing or Coming to Christ is a mystical duty not evident by natural light but instituted in the Gospel And we usually bid better welcome to our acquaintance than a meer stranger Moralities which are in part engraven upon mans heart go down sooner with us then matters of Faith Partly because Nature affecting a self-sufficiency is loth to be beholding to another and therefore doth not easily submit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 10. 3. to fetch all from Christ As a proud man will rather choose to wear a russet coat of his own than a silken garment of anothers Partly because it is a long time ere we can get men to be serious and to wind soul-affairs and if it be so hard a matter to bring them and themselves together What is it to bring them and Christ together Partly because Christ and the main of his Blessings lie in another in an invisible world and man that is so inchanted with the pleasures of sense and â—iassed with fleshly lusts which are importunate to be pleased with what is visible and present is not easily moved with unseen hopes and induced to deny himself and lay all his affections and interests at the feet of Christ and intirely to consecrate himself to the use and service of God For these and many other reasons man hangs off from Christ and nothing but a divine power can cure this aversness The work of reducing man from his strayings and bringing him to seek his happiness in God through Christ is carryed oâ— among the Divine Persons between the Father Son and Holy Ghost God the Father as a Judge by the spirit of bondage driveth us to Christ as Mediatour and Christ as Mediatour by the spirit of 〈◊〉 bringeth us back again to God as a Father Through him saith the Apostle Eph. 2. 13. we have access by one spirit unto the Father This mysterie is notably unfolded in the present Treatise and if either the weight and importance of the matter being one of the chiefest points in the Christian Religion or the known worth of the Author Mr. Richard Vines a man sufficiently eminent for the graces of the spirit for sound Learning and well-tempered moderation or the accuracy of discussion these Sermons being not the suddain issues of a light spirit but the fruit of grave and mature studies I say if these or any of these be any allective to thee thou wilt find them all in this Treatise that is now put into thy hands And because many pretend to Christ that are none of his there is added another Tract of the difference between a true inward Christian and an outward Formalist necessary to be subjoyned to the former that we may build surely on a sure foundation and not content our selves with a name that we live in Christ when indeed we are dead in sin I commend both to thy serious perusal and the Blessing of the Lords Grace in whom I am Thine in all Christian service Tho. Manton Errata PAge 6. line 22. for derisons read divisions p. 25. l. 10. for to r. no p. 4 â— 9. for as r. not p. 90. l. 28. for gripes r. gropes p. 138. l. 23. for Roâ— r. Luke p. 160. l. 30 blot out alwayes p. 214. l. 9. for mean r. meer p. 23â— l. 21. for volentem r. violentum p. 293. l. 22. r. While he is p. 313. l. 5. foâ— Sodom r. Scdem p. 320. l. 8. blot out to p. 326. l. 17. for is r. in p. 32â— l. 30. after Its add true p. 328. l. 22. r. a man may be full c. Reader THe Name and Memory of the judicious and Learned Author of these Sermons is so precious to me for his great worth and eminent abilities that I cannot but heartily rejoyce in the publication of any of his Labours that are proper and genuine And that these Sermons are such I am confidently assured If thou question the truth of this Come and see do but peruse them their features will shew who was their Father Sic oculos sic ille manus sic or a ferebat I commend them therefore to thy reading and thy self in all thy Christian endeavours to Gods blessing Tho. Jacomb D.D. Reader THough I may suppose that the precious name of Mr. R. Vines will do much in procuring thy estimation and acceptance of this Book yet if it had not a greater excellency I should not commend or tender it to thy perusal Though I have not so exactly read it as to give my judgement of every sentence yet by the general survey which I have made I am able to tell thee that the Doctrine of Conversion is plainly and judiciously here unfolded the necessity and victory of effectual Grace is solidly asserted and the opposition of corrupted nature discovered and in all thou art taught that greatest duty to know God as he is revealed in his infinite Goodness and incomprehensible Mercy to miserable man in and by his Blessed Son our Redeemer and to give him the Glory of his Love and Grace If thou have the Grace thou readest of it must needs be sweet to thee to read of so sweet a thing as the treasures of restoring saving Grace so copiously and clearly opened and to be employed in so high and sweet a work as to labour with all the Saints to comprehend what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the Love of Christ which passeth knowledge to be filled with all the fulness of God The happiness of those that study Christ by the conduct of Christ and are strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man that Christ may even dwell in their hearts by Faith and they may be rooted and grounded in Love Eph. 3. 16 17 18 19. But if thou read of Grace with a graceless heart the Learning of the Writer and the clear decision of the several controversies may possibly be acceptable to thee but as for the sweetness of the excellent subject no wonder if thou be a stranger to it It is a pittiful thing to hear some men Learnedly discourse of the Nature and Necessity of Grace and disputing of its Universality and Speciality its sufficiency and efficacy the way of its operations whether Moral or Physical c. that yet never felt the illuminating changing renewing resolving mortifying strengthening or elevating works of Grace
that took offence Even disciples and they that followed him They say this is a hard saying and they also murmured nay they take the wing and fly away and leave him in the 61 62 63. verses of this Chapter Oh Beloved there are many of the followers of Christ that take offence at this Doctrine and it is to us even in our dayes very scandalous to many men and that 's the reason why I insist so long upon the Connexion If Christ preach himself the Son of God that is God For I pray let me give you warning once for all that the word frequently used in the Gospel the Son of God it means no less then God that Christ is God God as it were by nature It s used eighty eight times as I think in the New Testament The Son of God is God as well as man and therefore the Socinian doth but quibble as I may so say when he comes to distinguish Christ indeed is the Son of God and so are we called too But that phrase doth not imply that he is God Yes for they that heard the words took it so in John 10. 33 34 c. they took up stones to throw at him for his blasphemy and that was In that being man thou makest thy self God they took it in a right meaning The purest Gospel-doctrine is most harsh Christs preaching himself the Son of God was very unpleasing to these carnal men We measure Gospel-doctrine by the metwand of our wit and reason and peradventure by our learning which may be of great reach Therefore we are offended Now let me shew you this that The great design of the Gospel is to advance God and to lay man low And I beseech you carry this along as the great Design of the Gospel to advance the power and the grace of God in bringing men unto salvation and to lay man and all their parts and reason low God in the power and freedome of his grace saving man is advanced man in the power and merit of himself is extenuated and made nothing The design of the Gospel in giving all to God is seen by one Text In the 1 Cor. 1 Chap. last ver That he that glorieth may glory in the Lord shewing that the main plot of the Gospel is the advancement of Grace the depression of man and the derogation of mans abilities may be seen by what is said in Rom. 3. 17. Where is boasting then It is excluded saith he By what Law Not by the Law of works but by the Law of Faith And that 's the doctrine of the Gospel that takes men off from their own bottoms and hinges And so I think I have sufficiently proved it unto you Of Gospel doctrine that that advances free Grace is the most glorious to God the most full of admiration to them that are godly and yet the most obnoxious to offence and scandal of man to ordinary men of reason There are in this Doctrine so many offensive principles I shall instance in eight that I know are scandalous and offensive and stumbling-blocks to reason And much ado we have to leap over them when we come to believe First that the purpose of Gods Election and Chusing any man unto salvation is not founded on the merit that was the old word with the Fathers Schools we say on the Conditiou of Faith and Works foreseen but that God hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardens This is one scandalous point Rom. 9. 18. Secondly That before they had done either good or evil to say before they had actually done it is a kind of nonsense But before they had done it in foresight or prescience or before they were known or seen to do good or evil Esau and Jacob equals that tumbled both in one belly twins that had both one birth for these to be so differenced that God should say I have loved the one and hated the other This is another point scandalous and offensive to mans reason laid down in Rom. 9. 13. Thirdly That it is Grace that makes the difference and severance of one man from another that is the free grace of God abstracted from the worthiness or unworthiness of man Who made thee to differ O man sayes the Apostle Fourthly That the Jew or man whosoever he be that follows after Righteousness by the Law or Works did not artain it or overtake it as the word signifies and the Gentiles or other men that are of no name that follow not after righteousness by the Law or Works they do attain it and overtake it by faith in Christ This is a very hard point laid down in Rom. 9. 30 31. Fifthly That a man is not justified by the works that he doth or his duties or compliance with the Law but by the faith of Christ only whom he layes hold of being offered and freely tendered in the Gospel This is Gospel-doctrine laid down in Galat. 2. 16. Sixthly That the things of God that is that the saving things of God should be hid from the wise the prudent and learned men of the world that hold up their heads so high as they do and that to the poor and simple and mean that are meant by babes he should reveal them Matth. 11. 25. Father I thank thee c. hard and offensive to Reason Seventhly That many should be called by the preaching of the Word and of them that are called by the outward Ministery but very few chosen Look upon and consider your selves this is hard Matth. 22. 14. There are many called and great offers are made in the Gospel but few chosen and select Eighthly No man can believe or come to Christ except it be by the drawing of God Why sure this is a very hard point to the hearers of the Gospel that lay in prejudices and obstructions of Reason You cannot believe except the Lord draw and work this faith in you in John 6. 44 65. There are two things that make the doctrine of the Gospel something contemptuous tomen First because it opposes mens carnal interests It crosses the lusts of the flesh and of the world it brings men to self-denial Secondly because it is dissonant to reason to pride and self that is in men and thereby they are prejudiced First if God measure out his purposes and proceedings by his own soveraign will So that it is not in him that runs nor in him that wills as the Apostle hath delivered it Rom. 9. 16. but in God that shews mercy Then why doth God finde fault or complain of us why doth he finde fault with us that we do not believe that we stand out in opposition Who can help it ver 19 whose hand lies it in not ours This is the great offence Who hath refisted his will Nay but O man ver 20. Who art thou that repliest against God And then the Apostle goes on to clear the doctrine of free grace according to the method whereby
he is converted For the act of faith and repentance and obedience is mans act and therefore those that poyson us with this doctrine Christ believes for me and repents for me tell us a ridiculous piece of non-sense No it is you that must repent and believe and act obedience for common reason will shew you oâ— sense it is not the Sun that sees for that which sees is the eye the Sun only gives light without which the eye cannot see And so we must distinguish between the power and the act God draws man to Christ Jesus the power is of him but coming to Christ or the act of Conversion that is mans the power is Christs the duty is yours And therefore though this doctrine be never so offensive yet it seems God puts his greatest glory in that which is most offensive to mans reason In the 33. of Exod. 19. ver I will make all my goodness to pass before thee and I will proclame the name of the Lord. And what is that Proclamation that doctrine that is conceived to be so scandalous I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and shew mercy to whom I will Which the Apostle insists upon in Rom. 9. where this point is agitated That 's the second Observation Thirdly for the silencing of these murmurers at Christ in the verse before the Text Christ gives the close reason of mans believing in him and mans not believing in him a closer reason then they were aware of The reason he gives is this That those that God draws to Christ they come to him ver 44. And every man that hath heard and learnt of the Father comes to me ver 45. There is the teaching of God called the drawing of God and perswading the mind of man which whoever hath believes and comes to Christ Jesus and every man that is not thus drawn is left unto himself is left under his own disability and so he cannot come For no man can come to me except the Father draw him Mans impotency is alledged on the one hand and Gods drawing is alledged on the other hand and though there might be great objections made against it yet our Saviour insists upon this close doctrine Joh. 10. 26 27. You believe not because you are not of my sheep Many other reasons might be given but he comes unto the bottom Because you are not called because you are not of my sheep by the election of God And so again in Joh. 6. 37. All that the Father hath given to me shall come to me You that are not of my sheep do not believe therefore you do not come And he sets it forth again ver 65. of this Chapter No man can come to me except it be given him of my Father These are strange reasons will reason say and rather apt to give offence then to take it off rather apt to breed murmurings then to qualifie and allay them And its true had Christ encouraged mans natural abilities and â—lattered them he should have pleased the corrupt and carnal reason of man for without all question that which most flatters self and carnal reason is most acceptable with you But so doth not he for he asserts that God must draw and give faith This gives all to Christ and assumes all the glory out of your hands to God whereby you may gather that those that are not of the sheep of Christ are not drawn those that are not of the sheep of Christ by Gods election they are not drawn to Christ by Gods operation This is that which reason stumbles and is offended at And How shall this offence that reason may take at the proceeding of God in this point be cured No way that I know in the world but this by laying down the wasters and the cudgels not disputing with and repining at God but humbly waiting on that hand which of necessity must work faith in you and convert you to this grace And that all unconverted persons may do so know it for a Maxime or a rule for so I take it to be that God hath taken the best and the surest way the most infallible that can be in the world to save his people which I thus illustrate Had the salvation of man been left to his own power as some would have it it had been desperate and hopeless to all men even to the best man in the world But now this powerful and gracious God hath reserved it in his own power for all those that are saved are saved by this power and this grace And now in this way of salvation some are saved some are in the way that God hath set for bringing man to Christ Jesus for if God had set forth Christ and caused him to be preacht to you yea if Christ should have shed his blood to have redeemed you notwithstanding all this it had been possible that not a man in the world might have been saved without this powerful drawing of God and this hand of God whereby he brings some men unto salvation And so now some are saved and so are obliged to greater admiration and thankfulness to this God then all the world besides are obliged to him for this differencing grace whereby he brought them unto Christ otherwise if he had left it to you to believe in Christ Jesus I cannot conceive how any one man in the world had been saved notwithstanding the Redemption laid down and the Atonement made which is a rare point and worthy of all serious disquisition and proof And I would I could convince men thereof that if it had been as they would have it there would not a man on earth be saved In the mean time let this pass for a proof That which never was yet in the world may rationally be presumed will never be That hitherto no man hath attained to faith no man hath come to Christ by the meer use of his own natural abilities and power without the working of this divine grace which all that partake of have magnified and blessed God for We know of none we read of none in the Scripture that have had this wrought in them but have returned the glory of it to God But because we do not find that it ever 〈◊〉 hath been we may conclude it shall never be that without this drawing of God any man can come to believe in Christ Jesus if it were left to their natural abilities and capacities Be they as they think them to be never so great and valuable all this is but premissary to the Doctrines in the Text. The Use of these Doctrines of Connexion altogether shall be threefold Use 1 First When the Word of the Gospel is improved with all manner of advantages among a people Whether in Capernaum as this was or living in a Parish as you do yet you shall find that many of the hearers of this doctrine may yet lie in their strong holds and lie under prejudices and notwithstanding
can maintain self And therefore it s said Rom. 3. 17. that glorying is not excluded by the Law of works not so it maintains some string uncut that upholds a man on his own bottom This for these reasons being mans darling is the cause that he is unwilling and averse to take the Gospel-way which sets up another righteousness that pulls down this and that makes him cry up his own Diana Fourthly when Christ is holden forth to a natural man that opposeth himself you must know that the offer is made to a man in his strong holds Every natural man is fortified beforehand against the knowledge of Christ Jesus and you know if men come to a strong hold and offer fair conditions while it is tenable and they within be able to hold it they are unwilling to yield man is unwilling being fortified to take in the Conquerour Now every natural man is fortified and till he be brought to exigents or dismantled he will stand it out for he is not willing to admit the contrary party every man by nature is self-content and self-sufficient no so poor creature that is without his den or hold now before that the thoughts be every of them brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ as Conversion is called 2 Cor. 10. 5. he will never come in until the Lord Jesus by the Word of the Gospel and the power of the Spirit hath pulld down and dismantled these strong holds reasoning high things For always when you are converted and Christ enters into the soul he enters like a Conquerour at a breach in the wall until this breach be made he that conquers cannot enter neither shall he prevail until then men will not admit him There is a refuge of lyes that men make to themselves an they hide themselves under falshood Isa 28. 15. Therefore saith God I will lay a Cornorstone a sure foundation ver 16. But this is not accepted by them that have other holds Fifthly man is unwilling to come to Christ because the receiving of his righteousness and of his yoke layes low both pride and self and abaseth these which are the two chief corruptions in the heart of man and therefore proud man most of all opposes and hates Gospel-Religion which of all Religions that ever were hath this glory That it most tramples upon proud self and calls for poverty of spirit self-denial and forsaking all dearest things And for this reason men aâ—e so unwilling to accept of this way of salvation and had rather suffer and bleed and lay out themselves wherein they may be somebody then only take such a profession upon them which makes them no body and leaves them neither merit nor glory How far will merit credit and glory carry the heart of man in any doing or suffering But the proposal of this free grace of God which draws all the water to another mill and must let Christ be my Wisdom my Righteousness my Sanctification and Redemption that is hard to digest because that crushes the head of our pride and of being something in our own eyes What poor draughts of men did Christ make by his preaching until he was lift up and by his Spirit drew men by conviction For first his usual doctrine of self-denial of forsaking all for Christ hath no shew to a natural eye Secondly the very way of Gospel-salvation is so ordered that it proclames the man that is saved a beggar a meer nothing for the richer he is the more he owes to the free grace of God and the more he receives the more he is in debt and the more duties he doth perform the less the merit because he hath received it from God and Faith which is his chief grace is a beggarly grace for the nature of it lies in meer receiving and taking to as many as received him John 1. 12. It is depending upon another for every drop of sap and life and hath it not from its own root but from another Rom. 11. 18. Thou bearest not the root but the root thee Thirdly this Gospel-way of Salvation leaves no power of your own to make any difference between your selves and them that perish Who made thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou diddest not receive 1 Cor. 4. 7. Fourthly you are bound to acknowledge the acceptance and receiving of all unto another hand not your working but Christs giving hand And the reason is That he that glories may glory in the Lord leaving by this acknowledgement no manner of glorying to himself 1 Cor. 1. 30. And then Lastly that you may see the Lord will crush all pride he is obliged by his receits from Christ to live to Christ and not to live unto himself 2 Cor. 5. 14. He died for all that they that live should not henceforth live unto themselves but to him that died for them Enlarge these Meditations upon your own thoughts God hath crusht pride and self in this Gospel-way of Salvation and therefore it is so unacceptable to man until he be made willing to it by Grace And all this gives the first and general Reason of mans unwillingness to come in to Christ Serm. 9 Reas 2 SEcondly the heart is not willing to come unto and give it self up to Christ until the mind be fully convinced by such a conviction as brings every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ as the phrase is 2 Cor. 10. 5. which until it be done the man remains in his opposition and unwillingness And this I conceive to be the meaning of that in Job Job 21. 14. where having described a man at ease and peace and prosperity in himself that is not sick of self therefore they say unto God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes What is the Almighty that we should serve him and what profit is it that we pray to him Doth any man say unto God Depart The Scripture brings in oftentimes what the heart saith within it self not that any man is so impudent and brazen-fac'd as to say to God Depart but this the proudest heart of all doth do And this Conviction is twofold First this Conviction is of our lost hopeless and helpless condition in our selves But let me tell you we are not presently fully and duly convinced when we see and own our sins the reason is because the sight of sin drives a man unto his shifts drives him to his harbour to his refuge of lyes his own works and righteousness and helps it doth but drive him from sin unto another thing that holds him as fast When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to King Jarâ—b yet could he not heal you nor cure your wound Hosea 5. 13. Let that be an instance in the case When Ephraim and the ten Tâ—ibes saw that they were smitten and in miserâ— and like to be led into captivity the sight
door the faster as against a thief and invader that would come in by force but the Grace of Conversion opens the door and if there be no body within but those that bar the door it comes with such power as opens the door the heart and comes in and takes possession for of the two though corruption be strong yet grace especially when it comes in strength is the stronger Our Saviour in Luke 11. 21. tells us while the strong man possesses his goods all is well but when a stronger then he and that is the divine hand of God comes to take possession he binds the strong man what that binds up the resistance of the heart that when God comes to cut him of this stone and he would struggle and could not do otherwise Grace overcomes it finds a man in unbelief and doth not only command him to believe but gives faith therefore faith is not only the command but the gift of God it finds a man unwilling but it makes him willing it not only stirs up by way of exciting the will and the deed but it works to will and to do saith the Apostle Phil. 2. 13. how long may one cry and call aloud at a dead mans grave Arise come forth but if with the call there go forth a power as there did when Christ called Lazarus out of the grave then he rises and starts up This Converting grace is called by Divines Creatrix gratia a creating grace we are his workmanship created in Jesus Christ Ephes 2. 10. This raises the dead this gives Spirituale esse a spiritual being unto the soul it puts in a formal principle of eliciting holy acts this puts in new strength and heals the vicious inclinations this grace doth not only call and say Obey my voyce but it puts in the very grace of obedience I will put my law unto the heart and write it in the mind that they shall all know me Heb. 10. 16. this drawing is the teaching of God and Gods teaching is alway followed or accompanyed with success with the work it self viz. mans coming for every man that hath heard and learned thus comes to me every man John 6. 45. and in a word such is the power of this Converting grace that saith the Apostle it is mighty to cast down strong holds reasonings to bring down every high thing that exalts it self and to lead every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10. 4 5. and what 's that but it takes away the actual resistance of the heart at that present time Reas 2 Secondly If this Converting grace should not carry on the work with so efficacious and most sweet a hand as to overcome all our opposition one of these two things would follow First That our Conversion should be defeated and Gods intention towards his Elect should be frustrated for this grace of Conversion comes from the purpose of God which is infallible It is a calling according to his purpose Rom. 8. 29. what purpose why the purpose of his Election which must stand Rom. 9. 11. the purpose of God must stand that is not defeated frustrated and finally opposed for then it stands not And how doth it stand not of works and the compliance of the will of man but of Gods call now shall that grace that comes from a meaning and purpose of God be defeated by mans opposition and resistance no for then that could not be true that he hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardens God would have mercy on such a man but by his opposition made against that work he is defeated which would be a sad assertion Secondly Or else this must follow that the will of man casts the scales of his Conversion and so the chief part belongs to man which is to decide the determine the work for grace doth not then determine the will to a choice but the will determines grace to an effect oâ— event whereby man may stand out and say I made my self to differ from another for another man had as much grace as I but he repulsed and opposed it he shut the door against it but I let it in and therefore the act of difference between my self and other men is my own act the act of my own will but this I should by no means admit of for to me it seems incredible that God that made my will and gave it that liberty that it hath should not if he will so work on it or in it as he will to his own glory without any detriment to the nature or liberty of it having a most omnipotent power to incline the heart of man like a river of water whether he will De ipsis hominum volunt atibus facit quod vult God doth with the very will of man what he will as if he that makes a lock and knows all the springs of it should not be able to make a key to it without breaking it all to pieces and it is also a thing incredible to me that God that hath determined of some persons to grace and glory let me suppose that for I think it must be supposed should leave it to the will of man that knows not the purpose of God to him either to determine himself to grace or to defeat it at his pleasure this makes very ill musick in an humble and rational ear that God that determines a man to salvation should leave it to the pleasure of blind will to defeat the purpose of his grace for if he should stumble as I may say on the resistance of it he himself is gone for ever which leaves not unto God so much above the Publican or they that are past over as the Pharisee his God I thank thee Reas 3 Thirdly There is a good rule to be observed laid down by our Divines viz. To put difference between some principal acts of grace without which the salvation of Gods Elect consists not and those subsequent and following acts of grace or the motions thereof in the regenerate which though they were very good and godly acts yet a believer may be saved without them And upon the first sort viz. to believe in Christ to Convert to God to be made new creatures to persevere unto the end for the performance of these God in his time gives to his people such a grace as shall not be frustrate or defeated they shall be performed in thee But for other acts that God calls for of thee as to omit such a â—in or to do such and such a duty which being considered single and particular thou mayst be saved without in these he gives thee his Spirit whose conduct is to be followed but as experience shews the Elect and regenerate may deessegratiae may be wanting to this grace and repulse the motions and as it s said grieve the Spirit Ephes 4. 30. if in one sort of acts he should resist he is lost and therefore
puts forth this power in this way the Gospel It s confest that the vessel or pipes by which this excellency of power is conveyed are earthen and contemptible But that is de industria on purpose 2 Cor. 4. 7. we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us the weakness of the vessel doth derogate from the power of the vessel It was his goodness and not unto your loss to teach you by men for if God had taught you by Angels that are by nature unsociable with men it had not been so well now God hath appointed to bring you to heaven by the ministry of men like your selves And in a way surable to man that is by word and doctrine by counsel instruction reason God will so convince and convert you not by insinuating a sudden power into the heart of man from whence Ministers are called workers together with God 2 Cor. 6. 1. and he also is said to work together with them Mark 16. 20. If God and man work together what shall we think of them that divide this partnership this conjunction Quest Oh but you Preach the law It is the Gospel that Converts Answ You are deceived we preach Christ when we preach the law as is plain when Paul was required by Felix to preach to him the faith of Christ saith the text he preacht of righteousness temperance and judgement to come whereat Felix trembled was this preaching the Faith of Christ yea or else Paul was deceived the Reason is because Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness Rom. 10 4. and because by the law men are concluded under sin that the promise that is the Gospel might be given to them that believe Gal. 3. 22. and if so what dissonancy will you make between preaching of the means and the end we are not so mad as to preach Salvation by the law and when we preach the Law to you to wound it is in order to the promise and Christ Jesus It is not the plungers that trouble the water that catch the Fish we know it is the Net but the plungers drive the Fish into the net that they may be caught we say the work of Salvation is not by the Law it s the net of the Gospel whereby men are caught to Everlasting Salvation But it s the terrour of the Law and the curse under which they are driven into this net t is the avenger of blood that pursues with the drawn sword that makes you fly to the City of refuge and therefore there is more of Christ preacht in a Sermon that you call Legal many times then in the vociferations clamors that silly people use of Christ Christ as they cryed Baal Baal though you pronounce nothing but Christ a hundred times together and therefore let me charge you for that I may have leave to do to those that are under my charge and exhort all others that since faith comes by hearing since you are born again of the uncorruptible seed of the word since his Ministers are in pain while they go traveling in their souls till Christ be formed in you since the Lord many times in his word honours the instrument in the work of Conversion with the honour of doing that which he doth by them S t Paul saith I am your father as Goliahs sword was honoured with the work that David did by it upon all these considerations be not you stricken with this madness as either to think that the excellency of power of Conversion is in the box that carries this treasure or to divide the treasure from the vessel that you have in it for then you lose it But where then will you have it But to consider in your serious thoughts what those gifts were which Christ gave to his Church on his triumphal day a phrase of speech alluding to the Roman triumph when a Conquer or came home and had a triumph allowed him by the Senate he spred his prizes that he brought home and gave magnificent gifts so the Apostle observes that when Christ ascended and rode in the triumphal Chariot to heaven he carried spoils with him and gave gifts to men and what were those gifts Eph. 4. 7. he gave Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and Teachers for the gathering and perfecting of the Saints or thus if you will he gave the Holy Ghost which doth not only work itself but makes overseers Acts 20. 28. and then works by them as the instrument is first made and then wrought with so the Holy Ghost makes you overseers and then works in and by them that are Ministers made by the Holy Ghost and therefore despise not means and instruments enough is said of that point to wise men Fifthly Nor will that doctrine abide this test that teacheth that man is the giver and God the receiver for the truth is God is the first giver in all kinds make him but first in the work of Calling Election Sanctification c. and you cannot be unsound or erroneous in any of these doctrines but that doctrine which makes man the giver and God the receiver cannot be true the reason is he loved us first saith the Apostle 1 Joh. 4. 19. You have not chosen me but I have chosen you Joh. 15. 16. and therefore it is said Rom. 11. 35. who hath first given to God and it shall be recompenced to him again that is that hath first done or performed any work that obliges God to recompence it those therefore that make man the first lover the first chuser the first giver they make man the creditor and God the debtor and how unsuitable is it with any modesty and ingenuity to speak so which of necessity must be if you make man first Sixthly Nor doth it follow by this test which is somewhat a difficult point that because there is a Covenant made with man upon conditions of faith and repentance therefore these conditions must be performed by one of the confederates that is by mans own power to confirm this it s said there was so much required of Adam and he had power and God expected the performance of the condition made with him And you know many times it is thus with men they expect a mutual performance of Covenants one with another and they do-in-many cases think that man hath power to perform the condition to which he obliges himself and yet sometimes t is otherwise there cannot a general rule be made of this a creditor requires the payment of the summ yet whether the debtor pays it of mony gotten by his own hand or borrow it or it be given him by some benefactor is not material only this is material that the condition be performed and the money paid so we may say in this point this is certain that the condition required of man is mans duty is mans act and the benefit of the Covenant is for him that performs
faith and repentance but God requires not the performance of the conditions by mans own power for therefore the Covenant is altered from Do this and live unto Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved they are both exprest Rom. 10. 5 9. because man fallen man could not abide such a condition of life as must rest upon his own power to performance which was before possible to him while he stood in integrity but now is impossible to him in sin this objection may be further pursued and then I confess you make a hard knot of it Obj. Still it seems the condition continues impossible for man by a natural power cannot perform personal and perfect obedience neither can he believe neither keep the law nor obey the Gospel neither perform the condition of works nor yet of Faith and what are we then the better Answ You must distinguish between a natural power and a power restored by grace as to the natural power there is no more in man to believe in Christ then to perform the law to a natural power both these conditions are impossible let me not offend you in words for to Do this and live you do not pretend to but to Believe and come to Christ that you say you can But the text saith no man can come to me Oh that you could but feel this impotency in your selves but then the power restored is a power to believe in Christ which is not restored to keep the law of works but unfeignedly to believe in and love Christ and this power is given by the drawing of God to all that do indeed come to Christ those that are not drawn do not come all that come are drawn and impowred to believe Gods drawing and mans coming are both of one latitude one measure one extent as many as the Lord works upon and draws they do come ver 45. And those that are not drawn do not come ver 44. and this I call the restored power not restored to man to keep the Law but to believe in and receive Christ Jesus And so the power to perform the condition of the Covenant is a restored power but to perform the condition of the Covenant of works there is no power restored therefore Austin saith God will not that it should pertain but only to his Grace that man should come to him that being come he should not recede from him And that God would not have the condition of this Covenant to be built on mans power of performance I prove by three Reasons Reas 1 First God is pleased that his promise or Covenant should be sure to all the seed Rom. 4. 16. Therefore it is of faith that it may be by grace to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed not to all the world but to all the seed and how unsure it had been if it had stood and bottomed on man the experience of the first man Adam doth teach who though in his integrity made shipwrack of all by defection from it much more may be said of man under sin were he not supported by the power of a better prop the Mediatour God will have it sure to all the seed And therefore will not establish it on the works of man because he betrayed it and brought shipwrack on it at first and there shall come a shipwrack on it no more Reas 2 Secondly God doth not expect that the conditions should be performed by man only calls for it as a duty that I owe but not as standing in my power But God makes promises of the very conditions which he requires not of the benefits of the Covenant only but of the graces of it that they may keep it Mark the promises of the Covenant I will put my Law into their hearts and write it in their minds and they shall all know me Heb. 8. 10 11. I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me Jer. 32. 40. I will will put my spirit within them and cause them to walk in my statutes Ezek. 36. 27. I will take away a heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh Ezek. 11. 19. And who will say that these promises are built on any conditions in man Reas 3 Thirdly Because of this Covenant Christ is surety which in the first Covenant was not If we deal with a poor or suspected man we lie hard at him for a surety happily we will take a rich mans word Though there was no surety of the first Covenant for Adam had none yet now there is a surety given that must stand at stake and therefor it is said God hath made him a Mediator of a better Covenant Heb. 7. 22. and this surety-ship of Christ shews that man is not to be trusted but upon surety And what undertaking Christ performs may be seen in his account he makes of his sheep John 17. 8. I have manifested thy word unto them and they have received it and have known that I came out from thee And believed that thou hast sent me this is an excellent undertaker and a good Accountant for his sheep not one of them is lost they have received thy word they have believed A rare comfort for all that are Christs they are undertaken for Christ is accountable for them to God 7. Lastly Since the glory of God is thus kept intire that all things are of him through him to him Rom. 11. ult and that rectum est index sui obliqui the right line is index of it self and the oblique or Crooked Let whatsoever doctrine that makes not all to be of him through him and unto him be hence confuted by this excellent test as First That which makes man a beginner of Conversion and God a helper of those beginnings that affirms assisting but not preventing Grace that which makes grace the nurse not the mother that brings forth a crutch for the lame but not life to quicken the dead that which makes God the finisher but not the author of Faith this is not Scripture doctrine this makes not all to be of him Secondly That which affirms that though there be no merit in Justification yet there is a power in man for Sanctification because it deals unequally with a long arm and a short one allows no merit and yet assumes a power that sounds not well neither yet this is a thought that is in many a mans heart Oh that God would pardon me and for walking with God let me alone Oh that God would forgive me my sins and I le cleanse my self I le live to God you will not assume the merit of Justification but you may not set your power in the place of the spirit of God in point of sanctification no more then merit in place of the Lord Jesus for Justification for in Psal 103. he forgives all thy sin and heals all thy disease ver 3. where in one verse you may see both
that you believe not few men that believe the one will believe the other they will not believe but that they can believe as if it were an easier matter to believe in Christ then to keep the law that is as if it were easier to obey the Gospel then t is to obey the law and that therefore such an omnipotent power as this divine drawing imports is not necessary to make a sinner believe Now I beseech you consider the Law hath something in you for being once written in the heart of man there do remain some fragments or rubbish if I may use that word in allusion to a building form but of the Gospel there is not a line in the heart of man by nature because it is wholly revealed and therefore it is as impossible by a saving faith to believe in Christ unto salvation as it is for a man to keep the law it 's as easy for a man to love God above self which the law requires as to believe in Christ Jesus with self denial for in both self goeth down to love with all the heart which the law requires is as impossible as to believe with all the heart as the Gospel requires and commands and therefore men are mistaken that think faith is in their power and confesse that obedience to the command is not Obj. But you will say the law requires perfection the Gospel only sincerity therefore the Gospel is easier of the two Answ It s true integrity is required in the law of God for you must not misse a hair if you will be saved that way Cursed is he that continues not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them Gal. 3. 9. But now the Gospel requires only a sincere heart It 's true God in the Gospel is content and pleased with sincerity and mark what the Apostle saith concerning the law It 's a burden intollerable which neither they nor their fathers wâ—re able to bear Act. 15. 10. But Christ saith that his yoke is easy and his burden is light Matth. 11. 30. Here is the difference but to rise out of this estate into which we are plunged now for we must speak of a recovery and rising again this is as hard and difficult as it is for us to keep the law all is one Suppose a man dead lying in the grave bound in the grave-clothes as Lazarus was and a man dead not bound at all but perfectly loose from such impediments is it not all on to put life into either of these two so though there be not a full integrity of the duties required of necessity in the Gospel yeâ— man being dead and to rise recover and come again to a state of salvation and Gods Image it 's all one power that is put forth to raise a man by faith in Christ which is recovering Gospel grace as to set a man in the state of perfection which is the life of Gods Image but indeed this is made possible as I said through grace to believe but to keep the law perfectly is not made possible to us in this life no not by grace God left it under an impossibility called the impossibility of the law Rom. 8. and therefore as the Apostle speaks of that faith that is wrought in those that shall be saved it is wrought by an exceeding hyperbole of power 1 Epes 18. 19. â—he uses such a weight of words the exceeding greatness of his mighty power in them that do believe according to the power that was exercised in Christ when God raised him from the dead now Christ was perfectly dead and lay under the weight of the sinnes of all believers and therefore the power that raised him up was omnipotent and is not this power exemplified in raising you to faith which is a recovering grace except men be pleased to deny that man is not so dead as Christ was that he hath some degree of spiritual life though Christ had no degree of natural life for then he had not been dead as neither we if it be so and I know not why they should deny the same omnipotent power to raise them from being dead in sinnes to come to Christ for to deny the greatness of the power is to deny the degree of the death and therefore I think it to be a good reason for the conclusion of this digression from the privation oâ— defect that is in man to believe and the power that is necessary to relieve that defect and heal that privation to argue the impossibility of faith to a natural man And For that which is said if others of lower form lesse in parts do believe why not Iâ—â— why should not I think my self a believer as well as he or another I reply that in Scripture especially our Saviours doctrine the reason of believing and not believing seems to lie very high and out of sight as they say of the head of Nilus mark and take no offence but let your Reason stoop to God and his Word you believe not because you are not of my sheep John 10. 26. as many as were ordained to eternal life believed as if ordination to eternal life were the original or cause of believing Acts 13. 48. But we shall look only into man himself in whom there is reason enough for his unbelief how can you believe that receive honour one of another John 5. 40. there are so many reasons for unbelief as there are master sins for every master sin as it brings the soul under great guilt so it hinders the soul from coming to Christ Jesus but then what reason in man can there be given for his faith in Christ We see many simple men the Scripture calls them babes believe learned men do not We have read of a thousand converted at the first Sermon they heard as at Peters Sermon And again many hear a thousand Sermons and yet are not believers In short though nature and art in their works require the subject they work upon to be disposed and fitted with capacity else the work is hindred therefore the sun hardens and softens according to the temper of the subject on which it works but God that works this faith if he do not find a subject prepared as indeed he doth not he can make or create faith in most indisposed subjects for Creation requires not so much as matter to work on but works out of nothing as we know which nature cannot do When God works faith in yâ—â— he finds no propension to faith but opposition he finds nothing lesse then nothing in man but he works it I say there is no cause can be given in man why one believes and not another because it is the hand of free and powerful grace that works it in man without finding any propension unto it Reason The reason why these Gospel-graces do require a supernatural strength is this in general Christs dominion in man is begun and carried on first
by the almighty power of God Secondly By the conquest of Christ himself for we must be partakers of that before we can believe And thirdly by the energie and operation of the Spirit so that we may say as it 's said Zachariah 4. 6. Not by strength he means humane not by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts But to speak particularly to the point Faith in Christ as it is a duty in respect of the command of God so it is a principle of new life in order to the recovery of the state of Gods Image Now let the consideration of faith as 't is a duty passe and consider it as 't is a principle seed and root of spiritual life whereby we live unto or with God and then tell me in a sober judgment whether nature can plant a supernatural principle For plantation of principles the strength must be supernatural whether a supernatural principle is likely to be planted by the power of nature I think there are but few that will affirm it Formes naturally begotten by generation are educed as Philosophers say out of the power of the matter But can a supernatural principle be educed by the power of the matter No they rise meerly out of nothing I do not discuss now whether every duty of faith and repentance require a supernatural strength proceeding from the principles already planted as fruit from the â—ooâ— but whether the principles themselves the habitual graces be of Gods plantation yea or no which no man will deny that thinks the new creature to be Gods work as well as natural man is For and it is but reasonable for me to speak it shall we by our natural being confessedly be the creatures of God and deny our selves as new creatures in regard of our spiritual being to be of God there are but two places of Scripture whereby I prove all this that I have recited John 1. 13. all believers are born viaâ— by regeneration not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God a plain denial of the will of man to be a concurrent agent or cause in the work of regeneration he denies three things that natural generation hath dependance on and affirms one not of blood as natural generation nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God This spiritual birth is left to be of God and his will and mark it is denied to be of the darling mans will Deut. 29 4. you have seen great signes and wonders that one would think should have brought faith out of a rock of stone for the space of forty years ever since you were in Egypt and came along through the wilderness and yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear to this day Objects they had that one would have thought should have wrought faith in the heart of man But the reason why they had not a jot of faith wrought in them for so long a time was because God had not given them eyes to see so that the natural light of man is not that wherein faith is seated man may see and not see see and wonder but not see and believe a clear attestation that he must see by Gods light and perceive by a sense given to the heart by God And so I have done with that question and shall now open the properties of this drawing of God which are four First It 's victorious over all incounters and opposition Secondly It makes the person drawn a volunteir Thirdly It s a drawing by teaching vers 45. Fourthly It is such as is peculiar and proper to the elect of God First It is a victorious drawing prevalent over all resistance that can be made against it there is a contrariety in the heart of natural man to grace especially to faith and no grace is so much opposed tempted beleaguered and fought against by the Devil as a mans faith and none that the contrariety of nature makes head and fights against and resists by reason of the innate enmity which is in it as Faith it makes resistance but how As a drop of water falling into a great fire makes resistance to the fire as a drop can do but cannot make a victorious resistance to quench the fire but is swallowed up by it so the resistance that is made against the power of God cannot be victorious but that the power of God overcomes all resistance and withdrawment My meaning is when God engages purposely and intentionally according to his elective purpose to draw men to Christ then this power of God becomes and appears to be victorious then let Onesimus run from his Master to Rome God will find him in a prison there and convert him let Naaman be in Syria let the widdow of Sarepta be in a City of Sidon that is as Christ means out of all high ways to conversion the power and grace of God will find them out I say when God intends the work For as Israel is prevailed over and kept in slavery until God saith I have seen I have seen the affliction of my people and am come down to deliver them then you know the deliverance is wrought in despight of Pharaoh then there was no longer keeping them under slavery So till the time be that God hath appointed to draw his Children of purpose to his Son by an actual call a sinful lustful person lies in slavery to every sinful lust every cord holds him and then he shall find a door open and the resistance removed and suspended for that time When Moses was in Egypt and an Egyptian fought against an Israelite he slew the Egyptian in rescue of an Israelite it was a preludium or presage that he should deliver Israel out of Egypt the whole body of them and therefore when the body came to be delivered forty years after this he did it with a mighty hand So God victoriously brings out of the state of sin single souls and slays their corruptions as victoriously as the whole Church shall be delivered at last from the greatest Pharaohs death divel and sin and therefore observe the stile used in the Covenant is very peremptory I will give I will put and on mans part They shall come They shall know They shall not depart away from me The reason of the victorious power of grace is that the world moves by carnal and sensual objects and so the Devil and Flesh they move objectively their motion whereby they move from God is but objective propounding pleasing or fearful objects to the mind of man either drawing or alluring or affrighting a man from faith in Christ now if Gods moving and drawing should not be more powerful and strong then the devils the worlds or mans own withdrawing there neither would nor could be conversion wrought if the drawing of man to Christ were not more powerful than mans withdrawment
you are ye not carnal and walk as men 1 Cor. 3. 3 The preacher shreds colloquint into the pot the hearer like the wanton fish in summer catches at the silken fly that hath a hook in it Oh that the very reading of this Text would startle you to go home and lament over your selves and with earnest prayer to call upon God Lord make me to know wisdome in the hidden part give me the leavings of the outward Jew the circumcision of the heart in the spirit whose praise is not of man but God Observ 3 Thirdly a Jew or Christian be they what they will be meerly conversant in the outwards of Religion is not that indeed which he takes himself to be and desires to be called Thou art called a Jew vers 17. And thy Circumcision profits if thou keep the law vers 24. else thou art no Jew and thy circumcision is made uncircumcision there are disciples and disciples 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 indeed John 8. 31. there is the distinction as there was a severance of Jew from Gentil and also of the Jew inwardly from the outward so there is of Christians from heathens and also of Christians in power from Christians in the form of godliness for the Kingdome of God consisteth not in meats and drinks but in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy-Ghost Religion is an inward thing of the heart in the spirit the principles the motives that carry it on the manner of performance the graces the comforts the sâ—alings the experiences the communion are inward things there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the hidden man of the heart which makes a Christian inwardly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostle calls it in 1 Pet. 3. 4. It is in the hidden man that grace begins It s spoken of women there that are most affected with the outward dress the life of your bodies doth not begin in the legs but in some of the vitals the heart the liver the brain and as it begins there so it rules and governs there that motion is but violent that comes from a forraign motive all duties of worship and obedience that are outward if they be not actuated by some inward grace are not profitable to you not pleasing to God It s true there is a confession that is made with the mouth unto salvation as well as faith in the heart unto righteousness that text I believe teaches this point that there is more goes to salvation then to justification but we are comparing the outward and inward Christian the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is seen what it is in that forementioned place that that is of great worth and much set by it lies under the bark it s the framing and moulding of the heart to softness and a planting the Lord Jesus in you This is that which makes you to be Christians Christians indeed From all this that hath been said what followes now if we will make use of it Use 1 First I say hence Can our outward Christian give any good account of any momentous difference between himself and the Jew outwardly I confess comparing the priviledges of the Jew with the Samaritan our Saviour asserts the preheminence of the Jew salvation faith he is of the Jewes and so I might speak and follow it profitably that such is our profession above the Papist But I am speaking now of the Jew outward and inward the Jew reckoned himself a Jew by his descent from Abraham and by his profession of that religion establisht by Moses whereof he had not the power and pray what do you Christians reckon yourselves by what is your faith that you pretend to have to Christ but a kind of traditional storie from our Ancestors or taken up from common report milkt into you when you suckt the breasts by custome and education without any work of the Gospel on your hearts Can you say that the Gospel-ministry hath wrought faith in me I will not tie things strictly though this be common and ordinary there being not one of a hundred sometimes that can say now I believe in Christ not because I have learnâ— it by custom and common report but because the Gospel hath been to me and in me the power of God unto salvation it 's a rare thing The Faith you have how ever you come by it look you to that is that kind of easie and dogmatical saith of assent to the truth of the Scriptures We know God spake by Moses but neither receives Christ as Saviour Lord and Sovereign nor brings forth any fruit to holiness nor works by love Did not the Jew honour the great Names of Abraham and Moses but were neither true Disciples of the one nor Children of the other And do not we denominate our selves by the Name of Christ without any membership with him or real union Did not the Jew observe the Laws of his Religion with mighty zeal and strictness as ever Nation did but neither sought nor felt any inward virtue therein resting in the work done and with great confidence promising to himself salvation And are you so zealous and strict in the outwards of your Religion as the Jew was oh no of a more loose and luke-warm temper in this point than â—e Yet do not you rest in the work done and promise your selves to be saved with as much confidence as the Jew I speak by way of comparison If we be never so sollicitous to bring our children to be baptized and we must have it so it s a badg of our Religion but are we any thing sollicitous to plant grace in their hearts when they are come to years of discretion to plant the work of Regeneration as well as give them the outward mark Examine your conscience thorowly and see whether or no you go beyond the Jew outwardly And to the Sacrament you will come and pretend zeal in it but do you any thing but observe a fair decorum for that day or time but where is the inward reason of that Ordinance where is the Lord Jesus received and sealed to your comfort No you rest in the work done and promise your selves salvation thereupon with such a confidence as will deceive you be sure of it Did he abhor Idols yet commit sacriledge And thou saith the Apostle that abhorrost Idols dost thou not commit sacriledge that is one of the main points that he insists upon with his outward Jew What are we better that cast off Popery and starve the Gospel Ministry eye to eye cannot be more like than you would find if you trace your selves Had he a form of knowledg and truth so as to be a teacher of others and a Preacher of the truth and yet took his own liberty of the sins he taught against and so caused the name of God to be blasphemed amongst the Gentiles as the Apostle saith to the Jew And is â—ot the Name of God blasphemed by prophane people through our outwardness are